Recovery

No, we haven’t been sick, just very busy. The last few months (or, year?) have whisked by and we’re playing a bit of catch-up.

Between April and July this year, we travelled first to Brazil, then to Canada for about 6 weeks, then back to South Africa, then to Mozambique, then within Mozambique, then to South Africa again, then finally back to Mozambique. Sandwiched between the travel, have been all the prescribed appointments, small crises and ongoing tasks that keep life from getting too boring ☺ It’s wonderful now to finally be back home again. But we have some catching up to do!

It’s funny how you can become oblivious to the unfinished state things until you leave them for a while and then come back to them later. That’s how we felt coming back to our house recently. As we returned, we realized that there are still many unfinished projects—basic things like finishing up the electrics, hanging curtains on the windows, and putting in more shelves and cupboards.

I was very thankful when last weekend, Dwight pushed his mound of paperwork, etc. aside and took a few hours to hang curtains on our bedroom windows.

Finally, no more dodging behind doors! And now that finishing the electrics is underway, I have a properly mounted light in my office too. Next is the front room and veranda. Yay for light!

For those who have followed progress on the house, here’s a shot of the kitchen.

No curtains here either, but who cares? It has cupboards! Ron Wayner did a splendid job of putting them in during our absence, and I am eternally grateful! Now, the cupboards just need doors. Next task: shelves and cupboards in all the other rooms!

While work carries on in the house, I’m trying to catch up on my own work, like planning socorrista meeting/training times, getting through my current online course on health teaching, preparing my sessions for health teaching in the intensive seminar (this week), sorting through the wonderful donated health supplies

(it's like gold, this stuff)

And then there is other work, like making order in my home.

A few weeks ago, my washing machine needed some major repair work. Basically, it meant "gutting" the entire thing. It was pretty pathetic with its tubs, fins, and sundry important parts out there on the front lawn getting washed for all the world to see. Even though progress has been made, my trusty Speed Queen has not completely recovered yet. (Maybe she just needed a break?)

And so the piles of laundry--our own, plus campsite linen and donated items--await.

The last few weeks have been a tough recovery time for some little tikes around here too. We’ve seen some nasty cases of pneumonia (always so bad at this time of year), and some malaria too.
One child lost her life as she was already so very ill when she arrived. We are so sad for the family. Thankfully, the others have recovered well.

This little one, who was brought here recently very underweight, is receiving milk, cereal and clothes while her mommy helps out in the mission garden. They're both so sweet.

So, as we try hard to catch up with our work, we will trust for her recovery too.

ttyl

PS: Check out Dwight's latest post for a few more of the week's stories.